You got lucky, kid

*Royale* · 09-30-2013, 11:54 PM

The rustle of the underbrush displaced by Royale?s movements could easily have been mistaken for gentle gusts threading through the paddocks browning foliage. Grasses bowed, parting in the wake of the canine?s form, offering only the barest whispers of his presence as he moved with deliberate slowness. He couldn?t afford a misstep at present. Not when the north winds churned in every gust and the sun?s glow provided less and less warmth. The symptoms of winter are much too apparent now for him to rely solely on dumb luck ? impressive though it was.

Royale hunkered low, ears pricked forward and oscillating in accordance to every sound that flitted within range. While the land was undoubtedly undergoing preparations for months of hibernation, so also were the prey animals that made their homes in every nook and cranny of the wild provinces. Busily stockpiling for the scarce days ahead their inattention would be his triumph ? at least that was the hope. Quite frankly he wasn?t all too certain he?d fair too well when the herds migrated and the rodents he liked to prey on went to ground to escape winter?s grip. It was his first winter after all and without a reliable pack to call his own the odds weren?t exactly in his favor. Probably should have thought of that before taking his chances as a loner.

It was with a soft sigh that he readjusted his thoughts, determination glinting in the male?s sharp gaze. There would be time enough later to berate himself for his poorly planned departure from stability, preferably when hunger wasn?t threatening to eat its way through his stomach lining.

He redoubled his effort. Nostrils flaring, the plethora of smells was slightly muted by the overlaying hint of decay but there were still signs of promise in the Serpent Plains. Tracks crossed twice over from recent visitors, presumably small foraging rodents from the vague indentations left behind. It?d be scarcely more than a mouthful whatever he managed to catch but it would tide him over until he could make another attempt, tiring though it would be.

In his rare moment of seriousness Royale?s efforts paid off. Hare?s were abundant but elusive quarry, often times overlooked for slower, dumber targets. But he wasn?t a runner for nothing! His desired mark was skittishly drinking from the creek winding through the grasslands, wary of being in such an exposed location. Roy would be taking full advantage of that.

Daring to inch closer he waited ? with more patience than he was used to exerting ? for the right moment to strike before he burst out of hiding. The badly startled rodent flipped, momentarily unable to choose which direction to flee in before veering toward the thicker grass where Royale was quick to follow. He kept his eyes firmly on the brown form careening through the grass with enviable agility but his own speed and additional reach prevailed. A swipe of his paw tripped the animal and his teeth locked possessively around it?s head, encompassing it entirely as his fangs punctured it?s windpipe. A swift death, no muss, no fuss, just the way he liked it.

Speech,

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